Category Archives: Entertainment

You Bet Your Life

I still remember it.

You bet your life, I do.

Groucho Marx’s You Bet Your Life

All though it might have been a rerun couple of years later, it was — that long ago, and I was definitely young at the time (sigh).

I remember it, even though, she didn’t have the crazy hair.

But you could see Groucho was impressed.  He even said so at the time.

It takes talent to know talent.  Natural talent, that is — it’s called Temperament

********************************************************************************************************* Continue reading You Bet Your Life

The Single Girl

She attempted to have the book censored or banned in the United States.

No, she wasn’t your socially conservative female.

Yes, in 1962 it was viewed as a scandalous book:  Sex and the Single Girl advocated having sex before marriage, and gave advice on how to have an affair.

And she was married.

****************************************************************************************************************

Continue reading The Single Girl

Synergetic Justice

Ben Affleck may direct a Justice League of America film as he has reportedly been sent a script by Warner Bros.: “Affleck is the only candidate who’s been sent Will Beall’s Justice League script.”  The Bostonian actor/writer/producer/director has recently only directed movies that he also stars in.  Leading some to believe that he might even don some superhero tights if he takes the project on.  Sources add that the JLA movie would be slated for summer 2015, meaning it would go toe-to-toe against it’s direct competitor The Avengers 2.  Speaking of The Avengers 2: Joss Whedon has signed on to write and direct the film, as well as an Avenger’s TV show of some kind for ABC.  Though Affleck’s camp is trying to downplay the news story; Warner Bros. does well for itself to put the idea out there that a JLA film is indeed happening and all they need now is a Director.  Why does Warner Bros. want a JLA film so badly?  Why.  Because anyone who’s anyone has their own well-balanced Super-Squad.  Super-Squad, you ask?  Let’s take a look.

Quote1.pngPeople are different in fundamental ways.  They want different things ; they have different motives, purposes, aims, values, needs, drives, impulses, urges.  Nothing is more fundamental than that.  They believe differently, they think, cognize, conceptualize, perceive, understand, comprehend, and cogitate differently.  And of course, manners of acting and emoting, governed as they are by wants and beliefs, follow suit and differ radically among people.Quote2.png

Please Understand Me p. 2

Continue reading Synergetic Justice

The Natural

Most of us struggle to find what we do best: natural talent and circumstance is not aligned.

But on this rare occasion, he could hear it, clearly — from the beginning.

There is geometry in the humming of the strings,
there is music in the spacing of the spheres.
Pythagoras

For he was a Natural.

A Composer that became a composer, from the start.

God  bless the child,
who’s got his own.
Billy Holiday

Continue reading The Natural

Diabolic Revelation

As the summer of the movie nerd draws to a close, one wonders what in the world I’m going to start talking about.  Just kidding.  There’s still SOME snippets of news however as: The Hobbit is now a trilogy, The Wolverine is shooting in Australia, Skyfall has a new trailer, and these lesser known Marvel projects have been green lit.  Speaking of marvel projects:

Simon Kinberg, who is co-writing X-Men: First Class 2 with director Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman, spoke about the hotly anticipated mutant sequel at Comic-Con last weekend. Unsurprisingly, he’s not allowed to give any details about the plot, but he did say that the film is “extraordinarily ambitious” and “unlike the other X-Men movies and yet very much a celebration of the X-Men movies.”

Sources say Vaughn has mentioned the idea of Magneto’s magnetism being correlated with a fictional rendition of JFK’s infamous “magic bullet” assassination.  Which would make sense.  Because Magneto controls metal.  Get it?  Noobs.  The film’s story will focus primarily on the Days Of Future Past plot-line, depicting a dystopian alternative future in which mutants are incarcerated in internment camps.  As the political conflict between humans and mutants escalates, former friends Magneto and Professor X realize that they posses two different and opposing fundamental perspectives.  Which ones? You ask?  Let’s take a look.

Continue reading Diabolic Revelation

Solid Steel Logistics

Despite the tragic shooting that happened in a movie theater in Aurora Colorado, The Dark Knight Rises has become the biggest box office 2d film of all time, beating out its predecessor The Dark KnightChristopher Nolan’s swan song to the batman franchise was quite the conclusion, but what lies in the future for Warner Bros./DC.  Well I suppose rebooting America’s favorite superhero of all time will have to be ample recompense:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpvOT6HJCmg&feature=player_embedded#!

Let’s all hope that Zack Snyder doesn’t do to Superman whatever the hell it is he did to Watchmen and Sucker Punch.  It does look like the franchise is in good hands however as Christopher Nolan is producing the film and let’s be honest, that guy knows whatsup.  The film seems to be peppered with the darker and more grounded tone that Nolan used to reinvigorate the Batman Franchise.  With Nolan’s powerhouse trilogy concluding (somewhat), DC/Warner Bros. will be looking to further establish solid superheroes in the DC universe in order to continue competing with Marvel/Disney in Hollywood.

Who is the Man Of Steel?

Superman is a hero that reflects the potential in all of us for greatness; a beacon of light in times that are grim and a glimmer of hope for the hopeless. He’s an archetype for us to project upon; whether you consider him a messiah or just a Big Blue Boyscout, Superman’s impact on the genre and pop culture is undeniable.”  Let’s take a look.

Continue reading Solid Steel Logistics

You can never go home, again

Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.

It was a comfortable, almost a Tom Sawyer existence.  It seemed to be a much simpler time. Yes, I was young.

It was the 50s.

Well, actually in this particular case, it was played in the innocent 60’s as if it was the 50’s.

He was like those wise, kind, and forgiving fathers of the 50’s.  The time of Ike, who protected and provided for us, hiding the complexities and real dangers of life from us.  TV fathers and mothers of the 50s and 60s.  Providing and Protecting.

Father Knows Best, My Three Sons, The Donna Reed Show, The Rifleman, Leave it to Beaver, Sky King, and … Continue reading You can never go home, again

Light-hearted Company

Peter Jackson has faced a reasonable amount of criticism recently for shooting The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in brand new 48 frames per second technology.  Critics of the newstuff got a ten minute sneak peek of the film at this years CinemaCon, and essentially claimed that the films aesthetics looked “TOO GOOD”:

Quote1.pngWhile 48fps may create a more realistic, “you are there” picture quality, it actually works against The Hobbit from the 10 minutes of footage we saw. This undeniable “reality” kept pulling me out of the movie rather than immersing me fully into its world as the Lord of the Rings films did; the very fantasy element, the artifice of it all (whether it’s the wigs, fake beards or CG monsters) was plainly, at times painfully, evident.Quote2.png

Now I’m not a rocket scientist or anything but I’d say that twice the quality of video is a step FORWARD for the movie industry and is a GOOD thing.

Peter Jackson responded to the skepticism by saying that people will simply have to deal with his movie looking “too good”:

Quote1.pngAt first it’s unusual because you’ve never seen a movie like this before. It’s literally a new experience, but you know, that doesn’t last the entire experience of the film; not by any stretch, after 10 minutes or so,” said Jackson. “That’s a different experience than if you see a fast-cutting montage at a technical presentation.Quote2.png

Ya.  You idiots.  Oh.  Did I just say that out loud?  Can Peter Jackson yet again bring us a dope sauce rendition of J.R.R. Tolkein’s absolutely delight-filled and charming classic fantasy novel The Hobbit?  If I was a bettin’ man.  I’d say yes.  Because The Hobbit is literally, figuratively, and arguably one of the best fictional novels of all time.  Ever.  Don’t hold me to that one that though.  As there are some pretty solid stories in book form in the world as we know it.  Like this top 10:

Old Man and the Sea, Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies, Pride and Prejudice, 1984, Grapes of Wrath, Hamlet, War and Peace, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Fountainhead

(Post your personal top 10 below!)

WHAT TRULY MAKES a vivid, illustrious, and captivating fictional tale you ask?  Well.  Some would say that it starts with a dense and meaningful relationship between the main characters.  Like for instance the somewhat strained but still very dear friendship between Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey.  Who?  You ask?  Well.  Let’s take a look.

Rationals and Guardians can indeed make for powerhouse dynamic duo’s, as both of them seem to share an inherent fondness for the structures within societyRationals seek desperately to improve it, while Guardians work tirelessly to preserve it.  Indeed a Rational’s pragmatic, skeptical, and relativistic mindset match up quite well with a Guardians stoical, pessimistic, and fatalistic viewpoint.  The two however do have a bright side, and can sometimes take break’s from their work to sit back and enjoy one anothers company.

Quote1.pngGood morning!” said Bilbo, and he meant it.  The sun was shining, and the grass was very green.

But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out farther than the brim of his shady hat.

What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”

“All of them at once,Quote2.png said Bilbo.

— The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein

Continue reading Light-hearted Company

Friendly Fun

Admit it, you know the scene…  Meg Ryan.

Ok, another hint.

“I’ll have what she’s having”  — Ok, now you know.

That Friendly Fun.

Making fun of the foibles of human relations, was her forte.  Taking a jocular look at sensitive subjects.  Real issues.

Continue reading Friendly Fun

Dilpomat’s Affliction

WOWWWWW.  Do i want to see The Dark Knight Rises.  Like seriously.  FFS.  As the summer of the movie nerd approaches its mid-life crisis Christopher Nolan will be ramping up his viral marketing campaign.  And he certainly has as evidenced by this content right here.  The true question on everyone’s mind however is:  Can Tom Hardy’s Bane even get close to stacking up with Heath Ledger’s epic and dark portrayal of Gotham’s Clown Prince of CrimeThe God’s alone know my dear friends, but the film should be decent either way as: Anne Hathaway will be portraying villain/heroine/femme fatal Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, while Marion Catillard is playing Liam Neeson’s daughter a.k.a villain/Batman love interest Miranda Tate or a potential Talia al Ghul.  And the young and talented Joseph Gordon Levitt will play a young Dark Knight replacement John Blake a.k.a a possible Robin.  What epic tactician’s cataclysm has Jonathan Nolan and his brother been able to concoct?  We will soon find out as The Dark Knight Rises can be seen in IMAX and 3d in less than a month on July 20th

Breaking news (via viral marketing) tells us that Gotham City is currently experiencing a slew of cat-related burglaries:

“All the victims were wealthy folks, who lost jewelry, family heirlooms and other precious valuables. The suspect is said to be dressed all in black, and is capable of a quick getaway.  Some of the victims were at a Wayne Enterprises event when their homes were burglarized.  The Observer adds that Deputy Police Commissioner Peter Foley (played by Matthew Modine) is heading up a task force composed of the GCPD’s brightest young recruits to catch the thief.”

WHO is Gotham’s Female Robin Hood?  A femme-fatal who refuses to kill, drowned in dichotomies and characterized by her allegiance ambiguity?  Let’s take a look.

Quote1.pngIdealist self-esteem is greatest when they see themselves or are seen by others as empathetic in bonding with people in their circle.  Idealist’s feel a kind of natural sympathy for man-kind, but they base their self-esteem on the empathy they feel with those people closest to them.  To the NFs, even introverted NFs, life is nothing without sensitive personal ties, without shared experiences and intimate attachments.  Without rapport so close that consciousness itself seems to be sharedNFs, after all, cannot not be personal, and the health of their relationships is beyond everything else the measure of their self-worth–enhanced when their relationships are deeply connected and vital, and diminished when they are distanced or troubled.Quote2.png  — Please Understand Me II p. 137

Continue reading Dilpomat’s Affliction